


Enemy of My Enemy

by Asraella, ZombieJesus



Series: ZJ Deathnotetober 2020 [6]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga), Death Note: Another Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beyond is part-shinigami, Beyond manages to get out of prison, College AU, Dark deals, Deathnotetober, Enemies to Lovers, Fist Fights, Kissing, M/M, Ryuk the amused spectator, What if Beyond was Kira's eyes instead of Misa?, background Beyond/L, courtesy of L, light is kira, two stubborn dumbasses butting heads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27019450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asraella/pseuds/Asraella, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieJesus/pseuds/ZombieJesus
Summary: It’s just another day for To-Oh’s top student Light Yagami, until he runs into a mysterious new student in class who can see Ryuk. Beyond is set on getting to Kira before L does but things take a twist when Light gets him alone.
Relationships: Beyond Birthday/Yagami Light
Series: ZJ Deathnotetober 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955044
Comments: 20
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We both tend to headcanon Beyond as conventionally attractive but skilled in using makeup/disguises to mimic whoever he pleases. He’s part-shinigami in this AU (and that’s why Ryuk gets weird vibes and Beyond has healed from his scars).

Light checked his schedule on his phone as he made his way across the campus of To-Oh University, thinking gratefully, _At least I don’t have to see Ryuzaki today._ The obsessive detective had inserted himself into most of Light’s classes but for whatever reason, Fridays were an L-free day. Although it was only a few weeks into the start of the semester, he had a quiz in Differential Equations already, not that it worried him in the slightest. Nothing _really_ worried Light, despite his double-life as a stellar student by day and architect of his new world at night. L kicked up a fuss and tried to intimidate him with his stalkerish behavior, but Light knew the detective had nothing, no evidence worth moving on. If he had, Light would be in handcuffs by now.

The sakura blossoms were just starting to bloom on the trees lining his walk to class, bathing the landscape in a dreamy pink haze of beauty. Students were picnicking or studying on blankets beneath the blossom-laden branches, and the chill of winter had relented to a fragrant breeze of spring and renewal. Light smiled at some friends who waved to him but he didn’t stop; none of these students knew him. Not the _real_ him. No one did, or could. _No one would understand, so why bother getting closer?_

Meanwhile, Beyond Birthday watched his fellow students go about their day, enacting their schedules like memorized scripts as they hurried to classes or studied on the lawn. He leaned against a tree, one hand in the front pouch of his “To-Oh” hoodie, the other flicking a sakura blossom from his shoulder. This was going to be a tedious performance, but it would all be worth it when he would be the one to bring L Kira’s head.

He rolled his eyes at the buzzing coming from his back pocket, pulling his phone out and flipping it open to read the expected message. “ **Beyond. I find it completely unacceptable to leave a note and…** ” He slammed his phone shut. _Even his texts are pompous._

When L approached him in prison proposing he be let out if he agreed to combine their intelligence in an effort to catch Kira, he never said they had to do it alongside one another. Besides, he would have been foolish not to take him up on the offer. A wolf is a hunter, not made to be in a cage, and he was the alpha among all others.

Light ducked into the classroom and took his seat in the lecture hall, looking at the quiz with a bored expression. The professor was droning on about how much time they had and Kiyomi Takada was trying to catch his attention from a few seats away, but he deliberately ignored them both. Really, all he wanted to do was swat this test and go back to his apartment and write in his Death Note. It was sure to be a boring day otherwise.

Beyond’s prey wandered into his sightline and he stalked him all the way to the lecture hall, just steps behind before sliding into the empty seat next to Light. Slumping in his chair, he pulled a pencil out of his pocket and drummed it on the desk as he side-eyed his all too attractive mark while he waited for time to begin on a quiz he knew nothing about, but it didn’t matter. He could always borrow a bit of knowledge from Light’s answers.

Light had breezed through most of the quiz before the rest of the students had finished filing in, but his concentration was interrupted by someone’s annoying pencil tapping. He looked up with a subdued scowl, which was usually enough to get any of his classmates to stop dead in their tracks, but his lips parted in surprise before he could hiss a rebuke. Sitting beside him was a man he’d never seen before on campus, and Light thought he’d _already_ taken note of all the extremely attractive men. Was he even in this class? Surely Light would have noticed _him_ over the course of a month?

Beyond’s mouth twitched as he fought the smirk that wanted to sprawl across his lips. _Not fond of it when someone is immune to your subtle disapproval, are you Light? Or do I remind you of someone else?_

Light blushed slightly and said nothing, forcing himself to finish up the last question and check his work for perfection. But he couldn’t help but peek over once more out of the corner of his eye at the mystery man– who seemed to be looking right at his test! “Hey!” Light shot him a glare, tugging the paper out of view. Eye-candy or not, _no one_ cheated off Light Yagami. 

Feigning concentration on the quiz in front of him, Beyond persisted in drumming his cacophonous rhythm, making a show of ignoring Light’s glare, but not before noting the hint of shock on his face. He clearly never expected someone like Beyond to be the one offending him.

The professor tilted her head in confusion, frowning at the strange student that was disrupting her class. “Could you please refrain from doing that? You’re being a distraction to the others.”

Raising only his eyes, he let out an audible “heh” and let his sneer demonstrate his scorn before side-eying Light’s paper which was quickly snatched from his view. _So you don’t feel like sharing with me? Let’s see what it takes to change that._

Light huffed and got up to turn in his finished quiz to the professor, the first one done as usual. 

The professor only looked slightly surprised as she took the assignment, nodding at the door. “Alright, you’re free to go. The quiz was supposed to take the full class period.”

“Thank you. See you next week, Professor.” Light caught the unknown man’s eye again, silently inviting him to catch up with him with a hint of a smirk.

Beyond looked him up and down as Light turned in his quiz and headed for the door. His cold blue stare met Light’s eyes and returned his smirk with measured wickedness.

The professor was now standing directly in front of Beyond who continued his rampant and now off-beat drumming. “Since you refuse to stop being disruptive, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

He stood up, slamming his chair into the wall as he shoved his paper towards her, teeth bared mimicking a smile. “I was just leaving anyway.” and left to catch up with Light.

Light made his way leisurely down the cherry-tree lined promenade, not in nearly as much of a hurry as he had been to get to class. His thoughts were filled with the curious (and irritating) man who’d been trying to cheat off his quiz. _Wonder who he is…_

The grassy park was mostly deserted since classes were still in session— although he heard a distinctive snicker from above when he walked under one of the trees. _Ryuk, I know that’s you hiding in there._ He pretended not to notice and kept on going, only for a massive deluge of blossoms to rain down on him when the shinigami shook the branches. “Pfft- hey!” Light looked around and tried to duck out of the way, but Ryuk just darted to the next tree and did the same thing until Light was nearly covered in pink.

“Heh, April showers Lighto. Just bringin' the May flowers early.” Ryuk hung upside down from a limb with a toothy smile. “Pink suits ya!”

Light tried to give Ryuk an unamused glare as he brushed the petals away but was sure it came off looking the opposite. He leaned against the tree with a sigh, whispering, “Don’t be so obvious. It’s not exactly windy today.” 

Beyond had no trouble finding Light, quickly backtracking the steps he took to follow him to class. With the halls practically empty of other students, there was little to hinder him from rushing to get him back in his sights. Now that he had him in view, there was no reason not to hang back and watch for a minute. He would close the gap once he took a few minutes to observe his target.

_What the fuck?_ He watched as blossoms fell in clouds onto Light, not once but twice, following him from tree to tree and covering him in a blush of pink. At first, the cause was unclear. There wasn’t so much as a breeze, let alone gusts capable of such a persistent cascade. As Light brushed the tiny flowers from his shoulders, Beyond swore he saw his lips moving. _Is he talking to himself? Good. The crazy ones are always more fun._

And then he saw it. Lanky and dark with black feathered wings flapping so lightly it seemed impossible that it was enough to keep the enormous monster in flight. _What the…ok, Light, you already had my attention, but now you have a punk rock guardian angel at your beck and call? How does he fit into all of this?_ Continuing to survey him wasn’t going to get Beyond the answers he sought and it certainly wasn’t going to get him closer to the now even more intriguing young man.

Light ruffled his hair to extricate more of the offending flowers and smiled up at the dangling shinigami. “There’s an old legend that kami live in the sakura trees. You joining them?”

“Eh, there’s nobody in there but squirrels and bugs.” Ryuk righted himself and floated next to Light, about to quip that it must be boring for a god to live in a tree, but shut up when he spied someone heading this way. 

With arrogant stealth, Beyond closed the gap between the three of them.

“Huh. That’s weird.” The man coming towards them has no lifespan above his head, but Ryuk couldn’t see any other shinigami around. “Did somebody else drop a notebook or somethin’?”

Light was about to ask what Ryuk was talking about but when he looked up from dusting away more petals from his clothes, the strange man was standing there instead. “Oh, it’s you.” He blushed slightly at being taken by surprise and immediately felt self-conscious about his mussed hair and the stray flowers dotting him. Trying to look aloof and cool was much harder when you’d just been pranked by your death god. “You…really shouldn’t peek at people’s tests. It’s _rude_.” He tossed his hair and gave the man a look that was far too interested to be pure annoyance.

Beyond smirked as he was greeted with forced aloofness and a reprimand for attempting to cheat off his test. He pinched a flower from Light’s sleeve. “Heh, there’s a lot of things I probably shouldn’t do.”

With a heavy puff, he blew the blossom from his fingers, ignoring it as it floated to the ground between them. “I’m Eric. Now are you going to tell me your name and introduce me to your friend or is it your turn to be rude?”

Light’s lips parted in surprise at the man’s _boldness_. Someone so innately impolite surely couldn’t be native Japanese, but Light was having some trouble figuring out exactly what ethnicity the stranger’s features might be. _Could be part-Japanese, or a European ex-pat...he speaks Japanese so flawlessly._

His gaze followed the descent of the plucked blossom and then snapped back up. “Oh? And why do I get the feeling you _enjoy_ doing things you shouldn’t?” His tone was less accusatory than genuinely curious. It was rare for Light to meet a thrill-seeker, and one so open about it. Light was one too, but had to keep that hidden, always. Doing the things you shouldn’t was only thrilling if you knew you could get away with it.

Light was about to introduce himself to ‘Eric’ but stopped short at the mention of ‘your friend.’ Butterflies swirled in his stomach but he quelled them at once. _Don’t be silly, Ryuk said only people who touched his note can see him._ He smiled and said breezily, “What are you talking about? It’s just us here.” He laughed and looked around in mock-confusion before nodding in lieu of a bow. “Anyway, I’m Light Yagami.” He looked up between long lashes coyly, “And I am never rude.”

Ryuk made a nervous noise as he met Eric’s gaze, darting back up into the tree. His wide yellow eyes peeked between the blossom-laden branches as he said, “Psst. Somethin’ weird about that one, Light-o. Don’t like the look of him.” What he _really_ didn’t like was Eric looking at him like he _saw_ him. “How bout we go home now, ok?”

_Silly shinigami_. Light ignored his scaredy-cat shinigami, focusing more on Eric. _A European or American name?_ “So are you a transfer student, Eric? I don’t remember seeing you around campus before.” He pushed up off the tree and continued walking to his apartment, casting a look over his shoulder for Eric to fall in stride. 

Eric evaded the question as he fell in line with Light. “Let’s just say I’ve recently begun studying a new major.” 

“I see.” Light tried to keep his eyes off the trees Ryuk was flapping and hiding in, but it was hard with all the ruckus the shinigami was making. _What in the heck spooked him?_ “In that case, it’s probably even more important to not get caught cheating.” He bit his lip to keep from snickering, forcing his gaze ahead to his apartment building.

“So tell me Light, where are you leading me?” Beyond stifled a smirk. “I assume you have a destination in mind.”

“You’re going to get expelled if you copy off tests.” Light looked away, slightly blushing at Eric’s direct question. “Since you’re new, I’m happy to tutor you if you need help with Differential Equations. I’m free now-- my apartment is just in this building.” He nodded at a three-story complex of single apartment-style dorms. “Up to you, but if you look at my test again, I’ll have to turn you in.” He gave Eric a serious look but, in reality, he didn’t spare a thought about other people cheating. He just wanted to get this attractive stranger _alone_. 

Beyond shot Light a side-eyed glance. “So concerned with rules and doing the right thing. You must make your parents proud.” He couldn’t help teasing him. It was just too much fun to anticipate his reaction. “What’s the deal with him? Is he your roommate?” He smirked as he locked his eyes on Ryuk, tipping his head towards the Shinigami flitting around behind them.

Light’s pupils widened very slightly and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, but he maintained a blank expression. _Surely he can’t see Ryuk. That’s impossible!_ He looked over his shoulder, pretending confusion. “Who are you talking about?” He brought his keys from his pocket with a shrug and unlocked the front door. “Anyway, I don’t have a roommate. I like having privacy and quiet to study.” He grit his teeth as Ryuk phased through the wall into the living room, directly sprawling on one of the couches. “Would you like a drink? A soda or something?” He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of bottles of Ramune, tossing one to Eric. “I can’t quite place your accent, Eric. You aren’t native Japanese, are you?”

Beyond snatched the bottle mid-air and picked at the seal, letting it fall carelessly to the floor. “Very perceptive. I would expect nothing less of course…you being the top student at To-oh and all, but no. I’m not Japanese.” Beyond fumbled with the opener, making a much larger show than necessary to open the soda. “How long are we going to pretend that goth bird angel thing isn’t in the room with us?” With a whack, the marble fell within the bottle, soda overflowing the lip. “What flavor is this? Strawberry?”

Light turned around slowly in the kitchen to face Eric, his expression completely changed from cordial student to imperious, dangerous. _So...he can see Ryuk and he already knows about me._ “Who in the hell are you exactly?” He cautiously moved a few steps away, meeting Ryuk’s eyes to try and gauge if this was mutiny, but the shinigami seemed just as shocked as he was. Light fumbled behind his back to try and wrap his fingers around the butcher’s knife in the woodblock. He’d never engaged in actual violence before but then he’d never been cornered before. Now that he was, he knew-- he’d fight, and kill if he had to.


	2. Chapter 2

“Knew there was something weird about you!” Ryuk’s wings lifted him off the couch to perch on the dining room table closer to the kitchen. His eyes glowed as he stared at the strange human--no, Ryuk wasn’t sure this was a human anymore. “Where’s your shinigami? I don’t remember letting you touch my Death Note.”

“Shinigami? Is that what you are? Ha!” Beyond’s lips stretched wide, a sneer full of pleasure. He had expected a lot of things to be possible today, but it never occurred to him he’d be in the presence of a Death God. “Touch your Death Note? What the hell is a Death Note?”

Light shot daggers at Ryuk and would have actually hurled the knife at him if he thought it would do any good. He needed to get to his desk-- but that wouldn’t do any good either, not without a name to write, and it was obvious this person wasn’t really named ‘Eric.’ _Time to bluff_. “Yes, he’s my death god, so stay where you are.”

“ _Your_ death god?!” Ryuk hooted a laugh, choking it back at the murderous look on Light’s face. It never failed to amuse him how Light thought he could manipulate any situation he was in; and honestly, he didn’t mind being used in Light’s ploy if it resulted in something interesting. Not that he thought it was going to fool ‘Eric.’ “Uh...yeah, that’s right. God of death, here on Earth to reap some lives, cause some havoc. Usual shinigami stuff.”

“Nice to meet you…whatever your name is.” Beyond snickered at Ryuk before he took a step closer to Light. 

“That’s Ryuk to you!” The shinigami shrugged when Light glared at him, taking an apple out of his wings and munching it happily. This was the most interesting thing he’d seen in weeks! Plus, didn’t Light remember what he’d said when they met? _Ryuk_ would be the one to kill Light. _Still leaves a lot on the table other than dying, I guess_.

“Relax, Light. We both know you have no intention of harming me. Not that you could.” Beyond grinned as he dropped his head forward, looking up at Light menacingly from his lowered stare. “Are you going to tell me what a Death Note is or am I going to have to find out for myself?”

Blood was pounding in Light’s ears and the world around him was slowly turning red. Ryuk was doing _nothing_ , he couldn’t use his Death Note, and the advancing stranger was suddenly a lot more disconcerting. _I’m trapped…but I’m not giving up._ With a burst of adrenaline, Light pulled the butcher’s knife from behind his back and lunged at Eric, slashing his shirt before the man jumped back and grabbed him by the wrist. He struggled and snarled, “Let GO!”

“No, you let go.” It was neither a request nor a demand. It was simply a statement of fact that rendered Light helpless as Beyond crushed his thumb between the bones on the underside of Light’s wrist. His smile grew at the whimper that came from his opponent as Light involuntarily dropped the knife from his grip.

Twisting his hand around to get a better grasp, Beyond pulled Light closer to him, every word he panted from his parted grin falling onto Light’s skin. “Did you really think it was going to be that easy?” 

Light focused through the pain throbbing in his hand and balled it into a tight fist, slamming it directly into Eric’s face with a sickening crunch. The force of the blow made Eric stumble back and grip the table, blood flowing freely from the broken nose to drip onto the floor. “Did _YOU?_ ” Light knew how he looked-- prim and preppy, like he’d never be able to defend himself let alone win a fight. That was deceptive and this was life-or-death, and adrenaline has strange effects in such situations. 

“Woohoo!! Nice shot, Light-o!” Ryuk hollered at them from his perch on the back of the couch after Eric had nearly barrelled into him. “Uh...hope that boo-boo on your hand doesn’t keep you from writing names, shit.”

Beyond wiped his sleeve along his nose, trying to hide the wince it brought to his face. Fighting back the perfunctory tears that come with such a direct hit, he looked at the crimson smear trailing up his arm and smiled, raising his eyes to meet Light’s.

“I should kill you right here. That would show you and that prick of a detective, but you’re worth more to me alive.” Beyond’s foot connected with Light’s middle, a direct strike that knocked him back. 

“Ooof!” Light struck the wall, knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over in pain and clutched his middle, glaring up at Eric with his eyes narrowed. _Worth more to you?!_ He wheezed a few times as he stumbled away from the man, placing the table between them. _I need to get that knife._ He panted out, “D-did that...bastard...L send...you?” And to what purpose? L was cagey and his methods often illegal, but sending someone to beat him up seemed beyond the pale. “Either way...you’re _not_ going to kill me.” He grabbed the toaster and hurled it at Eric’s head, using the distraction to snatch the knife up off the floor with his good hand and make a break for it. He grabbed Eric around the middle and knocked the man to the floor, struggling to try and stab him.

Beyond caught him around the wrist, firmly but not crushingly so as he halted his attempts to connect the blade to his flesh, grinning up at his attacker. “I’m impressed. I didn’t think you had it in you.” He heaved up from the floor flipping Light onto his back, pressing his weight against him as he pinned him to the floor. His words were more labored pants as he leaned inches from Light’s face. “But why should I expect anything less from Kira.”

Light struggled to try and flip them over, but was too shocked by Eric’s words to do anything but freeze. He whispered, “Kira?!,” and searched the man’s face for any sign of a bluff or a lie. But unlike L’s face where everything was a blank mask, this person’s eyes were expressive and certain. _He really knows somehow. Does that mean L knows for sure too?_ He let out a frustrated pant and let the knife fall from his fingers with a clatter. He tried to sound aloof but Light was surely shaken, “That’s insane. Of course I’m not--”

“Pffft.” Ryuk cackled as he flapped closer, peering down at the two humans providing him so much entertainment. “Cat’s out of the bag buddy.” He pointed to ‘Eric,’ “Yours too. You ain’t human, I’d bet my wings on it.” 

“Not human?” Light’s eyes went wide and he struggled again, only to have his arms pinned to the floor. His chest heaved as he hissed, “Tell me who you are.” 

Beyond sneered down at him with more pleasure than rage. “Come on, Light. You don’t have to pretend for my sake. I see you have no life span twisting over that handsome head of yours.” Pressing harder into him, there was no mistaking that he was enjoying this. Light’s eyes widened with every word. “Don’t act surprised. You know I have the eyes. If you don’t believe me, ask your friend over there.” He tipped his head in Ryuk’s direction. “He’ll tell you. Perhaps you should listen to him more when he says something isn’t quite right.”

Light looked from his captor to Ryuk, gasping when Ryuk grinned and nodded. “So that means...” He swallowed and gazed back up at Eric, now with more interest than fear. “...you have the eyes but no shinigami haunting you.” He smiled slightly only holding back a laugh for Ryuk’s sake. “That’s convenient. Hmm, but no Death Note? Decidedly _less_ convenient.” Light could feel Eric’s excitement and although he wasn’t sure if the origin was _himself_ or the possibility of murdering Kira, it was something he understood and could work with. He shifted his hips to press slightly back, which could have been accidental (but wasn’t). “So how’d you get the eyes then?”

“Some gifts are bestowed, like I assume your powers were, something to do with him.” He smirked in Ryuk’s direction. “Others are born with them. I am the latter…and convenience is a relative term.” He smiled, the points of his teeth showing from between parted lips, heart pounding in his ears. “Now are you going to tell me what a Death Note is or am I going to have to get it out of you some other way?” 

“That depends.” Light focused on Eric’s mouth a moment before meeting the man’s gaze. “I still don’t know whose side you’re on. If you’re working for L, then you might as well keep trying to kill me.” His expression became stony. “He’s my enemy and swore to have Kira executed.”

Ryuk hummed and nodded from his perch back on the table. “Yup, yup, he did say that. Pretty rude, right? Hyuk hyuk…”

“Quite rude of him, but unsurprising.” Beyond fought the urge to close the few remaining inches between them. “To be on his side is to be less, to be a backup for “The World’s Greatest Detective” and I am so much more than that.” He shifted his weight against Light, slightly relaxing the grip he had on him.

Light smiled slightly, because this was very promising information. _He’s on nobody’s side, which means he’s free to act in his own best interests._ “Backup. That’s an ugly word, isn’t it? Second best...a replacement.” He tut-tutted in disapproval, remembering when L himself implied having ‘other Ls’ waiting in the wings. Light had thought it a bluff but hadn’t dismissed the possibility. “You have the _eyes_. You’re already superior to L.” He smiled wider, coyly saying, “You’ve gotten closer to Kira in an hour than he’s been able to in _weeks_.” It wasn’t quite a confession, but close enough. 

Beyond knew Light’s flattery was all a game, a ploy Kira used to gain his favor, to win his trust, but he was never one to shy away from a challenge, especially one so mutually beneficial. “Well, then, perhaps I can keep getting closer. Maybe some sort of…partnership between L’s two sworn enemies coming together to end L’s life.” His breath quickened at the thought, ghosting against Light’s mouth. “But killing from a distance…It’s surely a talent, but that can’t possibly be as satisfying as doing it with your own two hands.”

“A partnership…” It was intriguing enough for Light to completely relax in the man’s grip as he mulled it over, momentarily transfixed by the thrill of lips so close to his. “You have the eyes and I have the Death Note, but how could I trust you? One moment it seems you’re about to kill me, and the next...like you want to kiss me.” Light parted his lips in invitation and whispered, “You haven’t even told me your name.” 

“I could accuse you of the same, Kira.” Never moving from his position, he relaxed against Light’s body. “As an act of trust, you can call me Beyond. Now about this partnership…”

“Alright, Beyond.” Light wasn’t sure this wasn’t just one more alias but it had the ring of truth that ‘Eric’ hadn’t. His voice was soft and smooth as silk, not wanting to blow this tentative truce, “If you’re truly against L, then the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Does that mean you want him dead?” His heart beat quicker at the thought of such a deadly ally, someone who could whisper him names to write and keep his secret. If it was his _body_ Beyond was interested in, then it was a small price to pay for that alliance. _And wouldn’t be unpleasant at all for me, either_. He laughed suddenly, “I admit, it would feel good to wrap my hands around L’s scrawny neck and _squeeze_ the life out of him. But opportunities to do so are few. Killing from afar would be safer.”

“Hmm, do I want him dead? Well, I had always hoped to ruin him, to present him with a case that he couldn’t solve.” Beyond chuckled at a memory, something dark within his mind that Light was not privy to. “I always enjoyed the thought of that arrogant bastard living the rest of his pathetic, isolated life tormented by ‘the case he couldn’t solve’, but I suppose I could settle for ridding the world of him…under the right circumstances of course.”

“And what circumstances would those be?” Light could hear both amusement and tension in Beyond’s voice. Beyond and L had some kind of history bordering on a vendetta and that was _good_ , very good for Light’s purposes. “I mean, he can’t solve cases if he’s _dead_ , right? Win-win for both of us.”

“Yes, but there’s a certain…approach. A pleasurable one if you will…I want you to kill him _with_ me. In person. With your own bare hands. You just admitted to wanting to squeeze the life out of him.” Beyond smiled, genuine and disarming, so close he could feel Light’s breath against his lips. He slowly snaked his hand up Light’s chest and traced the hollow of his throat, burning his stare into his eyes. “Let yourself live that fantasy. When was the last time you gave into something you wanted?”

“With you…” Light’s pulse quickened, both from Beyond’s casual, teasing touch and from visualizing such a raw and _visceral_ scenario. It surprised him that instead of feeling repulsed by the idea of really living that fantasy, he felt _thrilled._ It would feel exquisitely good to have the pleasure of killing L himself, of watching his rival taste defeat not via ink and paper, but from _Light_ personally. He whispered with a hint of wonder, “Yes...I do want that.”

Of course, alarm bells were going off that maybe this was a set-up, that maybe L had put Beyond up to all of this and some well-placed camera that Ryuk hadn’t found was recording all of his words. _Not that it matters-- Beyond already knows._ But, in the end, the temptation to snatch this opportunity was too great. Given his position of Beyond knowing what he was, Light didn’t have many options other than to agree to this partnership. There was much he still needed to find out about Beyond before Light would ever consider trusting the man. But if that didn’t happen, Light would find some way to get the upper hand. Perhaps it was a flaw, but he never lacked self-confidence.

“Alright.” He gradually returned Beyond’s smile, tilting his neck in response to the man’s stroking fingers. “We kill him together then, in person. But I need you to stay _close._ ”

“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to hear you say that. I thought for sure you would need some _persuading_ to agree to this alliance, but I see that won’t be necessary. I promise there will be nothing like watching the life drain from L’s eyes.” Beyond slid his hand to Light’s cheek, searching his face for any hesitation that could be lurking there. “Until then, how do you propose to keep me close?”

“Why argue when you made a good _point_?” Light shifted under Beyond, all the various pains from their fight melting away as he suddenly remembered why he’d wanted to get the man back here in the first place. This new alliance to take down L was an unexpected windfall in more ways than one, but he needed to keep a very close eye on Beyond. “I think you should move in here, be my roommate.” His free hand toyed with the hem of Beyond’s shirt and slowly moved beneath it to touch soft skin. “That way we have plenty of time to plan and...get a feel for each other.”

“It just so happens I’m…between places at the moment. I think becoming roommates will benefit both of us…” Beyond returned his hand to Light’s chest, the thumping of his heart heavy against his palm. Light’s involuntary admission of excitement betraying him made Beyond grin, the combination of Light’s body beneath him and the thought of tearing into L’s flesh was a lot to deny. “…in more ways than one.”

It didn’t matter that he didn’t trust Light. After all, he was Kira, but that didn’t matter. The urge to punish L was strong and even though his eyes were meaningless in this situation, he was a seasoned killer. If he had to, he could end both L and Kira, but looking into Light’s soft brown eyes and feeling him against him, he sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Light looked up with a pleased smirk, “It’s a deal, then. I can’t _wait_ to see the look on L’s face.” He giggled deviously before he gave into temptation and closed the gap between them, parting his lips to let Beyond in and opening himself to new, thrilling possibilities.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it please give us some love! <3
> 
> ZJ wrote for Light and Ryuk, and Rae wrote for Beyond. Originally written for Deathnotetober 2020 on tumblr.  
> Come say hi to us there!  
> ZJ: @kiranatrix  
> Asraella: @my-one-true-L


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